500mm f/4 Wife said ........

Gliderparentntn wrote in post #7895878
yes you will also need to add 700.00 for a tripod, then another 750.00 for a wimberly II head and then you'll need the flash bracket an offshoe cord oh lets not forget a lenscoat for the lens,tripod,and head. a better beamer and a 580exII flash
so you can almost spend another 1800.00 on whats needed to go with the 500mm

I don't own any lenses that heavy yet, but some of the sturdiest tripods that I've seen at Jessops (UK photo store chain) cost around 80£... That would probably be 80$ in the US...Do you really need to spend 700 + 750 = 1450£ on a TRIPOD??? I am not familiar with the subject at all.

pawelx wrote in post #7897468
I don't own any lenses that heavy yet, but some of the sturdiest tripods that I've seen at Jessops (UK photo store chain) cost around 80£... That would probably be 80$ in the US...Do you really need to spend 700 + 750 = 1450£ on a TRIPOD??? I am not familiar with the subject at all.

Yes, you do! Any $80 tripod in not sturdy by any stretch of the imagination...

pawelx wrote in post #7897468
I don't own any lenses that heavy yet, but some of the sturdiest tripods that I've seen at Jessops (UK photo store chain) cost around 80£... That would probably be 80$ in the US...Do you really need to spend 700 + 750 = 1450£ on a TRIPOD??? I am not familiar with the subject at all.

£80 from jessops aint going to be sturdy my friend , no way at all

paulyoung666 wrote in post #7897601
£80 from jessops aint going to be sturdy my friend , no way at all

ok, I just went to jessops on my lunch break cause I couldn't believe that you need 1500$ (that would probably be 1500£ if bought in the UK) just for a tripod.
They had some Manfrotto tripods for 135£, I forgot to note down which model, but it said it was designated for "SLRs with long lenses" as well as medium-format cameras. It could take up to 7kg, I believe. Wouldn't that be enough for 500m f/4?? I'm seeing that the lens is 3870g, then camera body is no more than another 1.5kg, I guess... Still under 7kg?

pawelx wrote in post #7898161
ok, I just went to jessops on my lunch break cause I couldn't believe that you need 1500$ (that would probably be 1500£ if bought in the UK) just for a tripod.
They had some Manfrotto tripods for 135£, I forgot to note down which model, but it said it was designated for "SLRs with long lenses" as well as medium-format cameras. It could take up to 7kg, I believe. Wouldn't that be enough for 500m f/4?? I'm seeing that the lens is 3870g, then camera body is no more than another 1.5kg, I guess... Still under 7kg?

Trust me - not good enough. Barely usable, but frustrating in real life use with something as heavy as a 500mm f/4 L IS. And you don't have to spend $1500, about half that will get you a very nice top-of-the-line carbon fibre tripod that will do the job.

EDIT: I just realized that you were talking about the tripod/head combo - and a tripod and head combo for the 500/4 L IS - you would be looking at around $1100-$1200 I would say.

Rudi wrote in post #7898171
Trust me - not good enough. Barely sable, but frustrating in real life use with something as heavy as a 500mm f/4 L IS.

You probably know much more about tripods than I do..
So the max weight that a tripod is designed to take, say if that's 7kg, what actual weight would you be comfortable putting on this tripod? Is there a rule of thumb e.g. take 50% of the max weight?

It's not just about the weight rating, it's about the flex of the legs as you swing the lens around, etc. That is why carbon fibre tripod are better - they are much stiffer than aluminium and dampen any vibration much faster. You don't *have to* get a carbon fibre tripod, but you still have to get a good enough aluminium one, and that will be much heavier (and not cheap either).

pawelx wrote in post #7898182
You probably know much more about tripods than I do..
So the max weight that a tripod is designed to take, say if that's 7kg, what actual weight would you be comfortable putting on this tripod? Is there a rule of thumb e.g. take 50% of the max weight?

You can set aside $1000USD for the support. You would need a full gimbal head. It would make your life a lot easier and your lens much "safer" to use. A cheaper Jobo Black Widow HD gimbal head is about under $600USD. You can use it on a monopod and a tripod.

It's really not that complicated...for me anyway...If I have a business justification or not having it limits what I need or want to do and I can afford it I get it. If you have to ask yourself should I? then you probably shouldn't..I guess I'm one of those lucky guys who doesn't have to ask his wife for equipment purchases lol

korrektor wrote in post #7896890
...You are buying the experience, the joy of getting out, seeing things others don't, sharing them, hearing "NOW THAT"S A LENS!", waking p in the morning - opening that closet, looking at it, smiling, and seeing no regret...

Man, now when you put it like that, maybe I should just pull the trigger and buy myself that 5D2 + grip + 24-70L (~$4100) I have been growing impatiently on! Ha ha! So, how much is Canon paying you?

But to the OP, I am in Missouri too, do you need me to come over and press the button for you?

movado242 wrote in post #7898660
It's really not that complicated...for me anyway...If I have a business justification or not having it limits what I need or want to do and I can afford it I get it. If you have to ask yourself should I? then you probably shouldn't..I guess I'm one of those lucky guys who doesn't have to ask his wife for equipment purchases lol

how do you get her to buy it for you if you don't ask ?

ed rader

there's another option. Take a look at Slik

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ro_700DX_Tripod​_with.html

plus a used whimberly sidekick... so all and all is around 500 at the most

If it were me I would just buy it regardless of what the wife says.

TooManyShots wrote in post #7895375
You need convincing???? Here you go:

Well said

ed rader wrote in post #7899326
how do you get her to buy it for you if you don't ask ?

ed rader

lenses i can afford...they pay for themselves..now my guitars on the other hand..nobody's paying me to play them these days so i need all the help i can get in that area... lol